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Kate in JoJo Maman Bebe for Downton Abbey Visit

For Kate’s visit to the Downton Abbey set the Duchess opted for a cream maternity coat by JoJo Maman Bebe.James Whatling / Splash News

Kate is a fan of the hit series that airs on ITV in the UK and PBS in America.  It is a joint production of Carnival Films and Masterpiece. The set is located at historic Ealing Studios in West London. More from Richard Palmer’s story in The Express:

Kate… went to Ealing Studios in west London to meet the cast and production staff of the period drama, one of Britain’s biggest cultural exports which is shown in 250 countries or territories around the world.

Many of the programme’s internal scenes are filmed at Ealing, home of a much-loved series of post-war British film comedies and more recent hits, but external shots and other scenes are recorded at Highclere Castle in Hampshire.

When she arrived Kate was presented with a bouquet by Zac Barker, one of two twin boys who play ‘George’ in the series.Daniel Leal-Olivas / i-Images

The show’s creator, Julian Fellowes, greeted Kate as she arrived.

Lawrence / Purvey / Splash News

More from Rebecca English’s story in The Daily Mail:

Kate, who has less than six weeks to go before the birth of her second child, was greeted outside Ealing Studios by the drama’s clearly delighted creator Julian Fellowes.
Lord Fellowes is no stranger to royalty thanks to his wife, Lady Emma Kitchener, who is, co-incidentally, a lady-in-waiting to Princess Michael of Kent, who is a neighbour of Kate’s at Kensington Palace.

Unfortunately, the Duchess missed out on meeting Dame Maggie Smith who plays the Dowager Duchess of Grantham who had to cry off due to illness.

In addition to having a look at sets, makeup and other areas of production, the Duchess spent time with costume designer Anna Mary Scott and members of Ms. Scott’s staff. She also chatted with cast members, including Jim Carter (l), who plays Mr. Carson on the hit series.

Kensington Royal Twitter Feed (@RoyalKensington)

She visited with the long-suffering Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt) lower left, and Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) center left.

Chris Jackson/WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle) gave the Duchess an up-close look at the bells that would be rung by family members, summoning servants to work.

Chris Jackson/WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Below, “Daisy” (Sophie McShera) and “Mrs. Patmore” (Lesley Nicol), along with a cake they presented to the Duchess. More about Kate’s time with the duo from Victoria Murphy’s story in The Mirror, the quotes are from Lesley Nicol:

“I showed her around the kitchen and all secrets behind it, such as how only one of the cupboard doors open – the rest of them are glued shut. “I don’t know who made that decision or why, but they did.

“I also told her the stories behind all the wonderful food you see on the show.

But did Daisy and Mrs. Patmore make the luscious-looking cake? ITV has the answer:

The Duchess of Cambridge was presented with a cake by Downton Abbey cooks Mrs Patmore and Daisy on her visit to the show’s studios today, but the stars admitted they didn’t bake it themselves.

“Are you both fantastic cooks?” the Duchess asked actors Lesley Nicol and Sophie McShera on receiving the chocolate cake.”You wouldn’t want it if it was cooked by us,” joked Nicol.

For those of us who have been at our wit’s end, simply worried sick about the troubles of Thomas-the-footman, it’s good to see him (well, Robert James-Collier) laughing.

Chris Jackson/WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Perhaps it had something to do with this?

In the hair and make-up department she met housekeeper Mrs Hughes, played by Phyllis Logan, as she was made up by artist Nic Collins, 44. She also met Robert James Collier, who plays under butler Thomas. He joked: ‘You’ve come just at the right time, Phyllis is about to have her Botox put in.’

That comes from the Daily Mail’s story.

As she was leaving Kate was given a present to take home to George. It was given to the Duchess by Oliver Barker, Zac’s twin brother.

Emily Nash Twitter (@emynash)/Lorraine Horgan Twitter (@RainHorgan)

Emily Nash Twitter (@emynash)/Lorraine Horgan Twitter (@)

Kate wore a piece by JoJo Maman Bebe, the brand’s Princess Line Maternity Coat in cream. (The image below left is one I created in an effort to have a little bigger photo to view; I used two enlarged images, hopefully the proportions are correct.)

Jojo Maman Bebe

Jojo Maman Bebe

It is described as a “Stunning coat to allow you to elegantly wrap up in cold weather.” More from JoJo Maman Bebe:

A great investment piece for your maternity wardrobe, our long cream princess coat will fit over your bump at every stage of your pregnancy. The wool-mix fabric gives it a luxurious, cosy feel to keep you warm this season.

A closer look at the garment as shown at Amazon.

Jojo Maman Bebe 'Princess Line Coat' at Amazon

Jojo Maman Bebe ‘Princess Line Coat’ at Amazon

The coat is a 50% wool/50 rayon blend. It features a princess silhouette in a single-breasted style; other design elements include oversize buttons, on seam pockets, and tabs at the cuffs. It is also collarless. It is selling at Amazon (in the US at least) for $169.

Kate Downton Abbey Cream Princess Line Coat Jojo Maman Bebe Product Shots March 12 2015

Jojo Maman Bebe at Amazon.com

Amazon carries a solid collection of JoJo Maman Bebe womenswear. Shoppers will also find the label’s newborn styles, as well as a broad selection of girls and boys clothing. Additionally you can find some of the brand’s children’s wear at flash sale site Gilt.com

The Duchess wore a creamy white dress beneath her coat, but it’s not been identified. Today was one of those instances when Kate did not remove her coat once inside, understandable given she was on a set and also touring a sound stage, props area, and other chilly places. The most we can see of the dress is this portion covering her right knee, on the left of the photo.

i-Images.co

i-Images.co

Kate accessorized with the same pieces used yesterday: her Stuart Weitzman Power pumps in black suede….

Nunn Syndication & Polaris Images/Stuart Weitzman

Nunn Syndication & Polaris Images/Stuart Weitzman

… and Mulberry Bayswater Clutch, shown in black leather below left. As you can see (hopefully) in the picture below right, Kate’s bag is black suede.

Mulberry/

Mulberry/

The Duchess also wore her Annoushka pearl drop earrings (£295) suspended from Kiki McDonough’s diamond hoops (£500).

Kiki McDonough/Annoushka

Kiki McDonough/Annoushka

The formal group photograph taken today.

Chris Jackson/WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Chris Jackson/WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Below, a quick video from 5News of Kate’s arrival.

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We have two engagements to update you on:

  • Tuesday, March 17: It has been confirmed that Kate will visit the Irish Guards to distribute shamrocks.
  • Wednesday, March 18: Kate will visit Brookhill Children’s Centre in London, where she will learn about a program called Home Start, “a family support charity that helps parents to build better lives for their children.”  While there she will also spend time learning about Together for Twos, a free early-learning centre. 

Kate’s next engagement is tomorrow, when she and William join other senior royals at St. Paul’s for a Service of Commemoration honoring those who served in Afghanistan.

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A quick reminder for anyone who hasn’t entered our our StyleRocks giveaway: time is running out to get in on the fun! You can any of the rings shown below, they’re all from the customizable jeweler’s Russian Rings collection.

StyleRocks

StyleRocks

The winner gets to select their choice of gold(s) for their ring, and what they would like engraved on the rings. If you haven’t entered yet, this link takes you to our post about the giveaway.

Editor’s Note: I incorrectly said that Lily James, who plays ‘Rose’ in the series, was shown in the group photo. I was wrong, that is not the case; the post has been corrected. My thanks to Nat and Lisa for the heads-up.

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Lavender

Friday 13th of March 2015

I wish she'd worn this instead of Eugenie's coat for a recent visit as she was well pregnant then too! Or maybe the mint or yellow ones she wore for George's maternity. I don't know what 'cutesy' means but it appears to mean pretty & something I would wear but that some ladies don't like that style. I don't like formal wear & the style tones this down (I always think cream looks luxurious on anybody but me). A good heel height too for daytime use too. I agree it would be nice to know what the dresses underneath coats look like - I'd love to know what the mint broderie anglaise one that she wore with the mint coat looked like! There's been comments that she hasn't worn the aubergine tweed coat (New York); I've come to the conclusion that it's too short for engagements, especially now in later pregnancy and/or that this is in her 'private' wardrobe only as she wore it just for a transfer-I know she has mixed the two wardrobes but it's usually the other way round,public then to a private wedding afterwards. I'm baffled as to why so many want her to wear flashy outdated jewellery or something different every time. The trend is not for ballgowns & rococco jewels like when Diana was young, she has always had an understated look and is definitely not a trendsetter but does like clothes. If she does develop more of an interest in what some call 'fashion' in middle age then she won't have so many people writing about her clothes - it is reputed the Royal machine would like that. I do like though that this blog tells us quite a lot about the engagement she is at, so that the point of her attendance is publicised too! It's often very interesting, I don't follow royals/celebrities but I like to be informed about news.

Ann Roshe's

Friday 13th of March 2015

This is a very lovely look. Fresh cream! The coat looks luxurious to me despite it's affordability. I find it classic and not the least bit cutesy. At this stage she obviously must wear maternity clothing but I thought that her non-maternity pieces worked beautifully this time round. No one does this color quite as like the Duchess... as always, perfection.

melissa

Friday 13th of March 2015

she looks very nice!

cks

Friday 13th of March 2015

Dressing when one is pregnant is difficult at best - the body seemingly different on any given day (I had five pregnancies in four years while in my mid-late thirties). While I was fortunate that many of my non-pregnancy clothes fit so that I could wear them late into the pregnancies - not all things worked equally well. I admire the Duchess for her ability to always look very nice - yes, she has help but ultimately her bearing and ready smile light up the room/gathering - and part of that comes from feeling very comfortable in her attire as it is difficult to feel comfortable if one's clothes pull, are too tight, or for that matter way too loose. I have loved her choices of outfits during both pregnancies. Would they be things I would have worn? Some not - as it is not my taste (the dalmation coat is an example) but on her it was lovely. I would wear my hems a little longer (perhaps - given the tendency of the protruding belly when one is pregnant to cause the clothes to rise in the front but then again, given how one's shape changes seemingly daily (and sometimes hourly given the movement of the baby) one may be fitted for one length and then on the day that the outfit is worn it may seem shorter than what one intended. Given the shoe choice - my guess is that the "boring" court shoes are comfortable and since are worn often give a stability in movement that new shoes might not provide as one would not be "used to them" . During my pregnancies I wore heels (people asked me how I could) but since I wore heels every day as a teacher I was used to walking, standing in them. I wore the same shoes (had blue, black, and brown heels) over and over - did not get anything new during a pregnancy. Comfort and style are possible during a pregnancy - the duchess has shown that to be true.

Camilla Jilderup

Friday 13th of March 2015

An elegant coat is the epitome of elegance!

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